Los Angeles Times reporter Peter G. Gosselin has spent the last year examining an American paradox: Why so many families report being financially less secure even as the nation has grown more prosperous. The answer lies in a quarter-century-long shift of economic risks from the broad shoulders of business and government to the backs of working families. Safety nets that once protected Americans from economic turbulence — safeguards like unemployment compensation and employer loyalty — have eroded or vanished. Familes are more vulnerable to sudden shifts in the economy than any time since the Great Depression. The result is a daunting "New Deal" for many working Americans — one that compels them to cope, largely on their own, with financial forces far beyond their control.
PART 1: If America Is Richer, Why Are Its Families So Much Less Secure?
PART 2: The Poor Have More Things Today -- Including Wild Income Swings
PART 3: How Just a Handful of Setbacks Sent the Ryans Tumbling Out of Prosperity
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